Dust-cap for valve-stems.



E. L. AIKEN. .DUST CAP FOR VALVE STEMS.

APPLICATION HLEDJUNE24|15.

Pntenmd Mar. 27, 1917.

IN VENTOR, 1Z4 wrd' BY A TOR NE Y.

WITNESS connection with the inner tulies'of pneu- UNITED S AT S PATENT camera DUST-CAP FOB To all whom it may concern.

Be it known :that I, EDWARD L.. AIKEN, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Springfield, in the county of Humpden and State of Massachusetts, have ,invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dust-Caps for Valve-Stems,

. of which thefollowingjs a full, clear, andexact description.

This invention relates to improvements in dust caps, for the valve stems of pneumatic tires, of a kind. having the capability of removal from the stem, and the reiingagement thereof with the stem without the necessity of repeated and long continued turning of the cap. 7

The object of the invention is to provide a dust cap, of the class referred to, which is susceptible of the desired quick and easy manipulation for connection and disconnecs tion with thefvalve stem, which is simple and inexpenslve of construct10n,'wluch 'is devoid of features whereby 'it is liable to become deranged or ineffective, which when engaged with the stem is reliably interlocked therewith, and without liability of accidental 'disen 'gement, and -,which is generally desira 1e and acceptable both from the'standpoint of the manufacturer and that of the user. v

The invention is described'in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and'is set 'forth in the claims.

In the drawings Figures 1 and 2 are substantially cen-' tral vertical sections, enlarged, showing the dust cap with parts thereof in slightly dif ferent relations which they are permitted to have in relation to the valve stem and a portion of the telly 6'1- rim of the wheel.

Figs. 3, and .4 are cross sectional views taken on lines 3-3 and respectivel on "Fig'. 2, and as seen inthe dllQCtiQIlQ fildl cated thelarrows.

egecincatlonbf Letters Patent.

Application fllcd June 24,

VALV -swam I Patented M31227, 191 1915. serialmae oas.

matic tires, is reduced'or slabbed on opposite jg,

sides and screw threaded on its side 0 h petween and interrupted by the slab ed' por ions. J 1

B represents the dust cap of elon and tubular Formation generally emp oyedgitfi but it has at its lower-end portion intemall interrupted threads o a which "in the formation of the czp may be produced 'by the inward displacement of th e po'sit'e sides of the lower end portion of t 9" walls'j-of the cap to form )pposite inward rotuberenoefl which are foi med screw three ed by'a. suit able tap. I

This formation is indicated in Fig. 3.

The dust cap is made with'an. external 66 downwardly facing shoulder b above its lower end, and with an external upwardly facing should er (1 above the shoulder b.-

, "C represents the collar having. an emi'r; cling engagement about the dust cap and}!!! capable of re woluble movement and fa limit: ed endwise novement' relatively to the cap; The ollar s made with an internal-flange.

f extending across the lower end of the dust? cap, and-its upper end portion is inwardly?! turned or -s pun to produce an annular flange 9 which by engagement with; the f aforementioned shoulder d of the dust cap prevents the disconnection of the collar from the duct cap. When the capisslid 80 over the stem the collar has-a nonrotajsive eng, ement therewith, because of-the noncircu ar formation of theaperture c in the flange'f.

JD represents a spiral spring enclosed? within-the cl amber forming enlargement 6- tion of the dust cap and in compression between the downwardly facing shoulder b of .the dust cap. ind internal part or shoulders of the collar. l

The dust cup 1 within the cc llar, encircling the lower per --Fi g. 5is a. perspectivcvieivfd fa part or foutwardly forced as represented-in'Fig. 't 9 ap mt'enance of the dust cap}. n the drawings, A represents the valve stem which as almost universally used in by the reaction of the spring and as 11ml bv the engagement of the upwardly facing shoulder d with the inwardly turned upper s end portionorflnnge ,7 of the collar; and

, the range of movement which the dust cap may have relatively to the collar will be apparent by a comparison of Figs. 1 and 2.

Assuming that the dust cap is to be applied about and screw engaged w1th the threaded valve stem, the cap is placed in relation to the valve stem with the opposite internal'interrupted threads in matching relation with the slabbed or flattened sides of the valve stem,the dust cap and its collar being in the distended relations indicated in Fig. 2.

Now as it is notvprobable that the threads a internally in the dust cap under the rotative movement of the latter will be exactly alined with'the threads of the valve stem, the endwise movement of the cap againstthe yielding pressure of the spring enables one to quickly catch the threads of the stem by the manipulation combining a downward and a rotative force to the cap. So soon as the internal threads of the cap match and engage with the interrupted threads of the stem, the spring remains, by its pressure on the cap upwardly, as a factor for exerting a force to maintain the sides of the interengaged threads under a constant bind, preventing tendency, due to rattling -0 r vibration of the threads, to work to disengagement and permit the dust cap to be-' come disconnected with the valve stem.

The peripheral portion of the dust cap, such advantageously as that adjacent and nextbelow the upwardly facing shoulder (l is made'of an eccentric form as indicated at y in Fig. '3, and the collar is provided with an inwardly projecting member m for a binding impingement against said. eccentric portion 7' as the cap is turned relatively to the collar. v

When the dust cap is brought into relation the nut may be tur rd as by a wrench orpinchers to exert a -w"rful force in an upward direction against the collar, through the engagement of the internal flange f of the latter against the lower end of the dust ca to transmit such force to the latter'and etf dctiv'ely crosswise bind the interengagcd threads of the cap and stem.

The felly constitutes a base support for the collar through the medium of the nut G which is to be regarded as an adjustable appurtenance thereof; but in cases where the nut isomittcd the collar would receive its basesupport directly against the folly;-

The provision of the spring D is more especially desirable for the reason that it renders the device, for its connection with the stem, :1 one handed one, that is were it omitted, it would require two hands to manipulate the device to interlock the interrupted threads of the cap with those of the stem, by gravity or hand pressure when the cap and collar were slid onto the stem the cap would naturally bottom on the flange of the collar and to catch the thread it would be necessary to employ one hand to hold the collar down while the other hand were used to effect therclative endwise movement to catch the. thread; but by the provision of the spring the cap and collar when slid down onto the slab sided stem, as may be done with one hand, are in axially distended relations (Fig. 2), and the employment of the omhand only is then sufficient to depress the stem relatively to the collar to effect the matching of the threads, and by the partial turn of the cap, the interlocking thereof. Then, of course, the turning of the nut in the proper direction relatively upwardly suliiciently moves the collar so that through its flange f it exerts the upward crowding action of the cap relatively to the stem for the powerful locking of the cap on the stem.

I claim 1. In combination, a valve stem having intcrrupted threads thereon, a dust cap having interrupted internal threads for quick dctachablc engagement with those of the stem, said cap having a peripheral cam surface adjacent its lower port-ion, and a collar havend of the cap,"having a limited endwise pressed protuberance on the collar for cnd-. wise and transverse movement on the cam surface of the cap, said collar having means prcvei'iting rotation thereof on the stem.

2. Tu combination, a. valve stem having interruptedthreads thereon, a dust cap having interrupted internal threads for quick detachable engagement with those of the cap sairtc'ap having a peripheral base flange, a col ill' engaging over the flange of the cap foriotative and limited. end wise movement, means preventing rotation of the collar on the stem, said cap having a part adapted to he brought into bearing relation with the collar when'the cap is threadcdly engaged with the stem, and means for exerting end.- wise thrust on the collar for transmission ing encircling engagement about the lower to the cap to effect a corresponding binding interrupted threads, a dustcap having in terrupted threads for quick detachable enout with those of the stem, a collar against the felly tc exert endwise thrust 16 connected with the cap for limited endwise through the collar cn the cap for binding movement relative thereto, a sprindg means the threads of theca n and stem. holding the collar and cap exten ed, said, Signed by me at S ringfield, Mass in 5 cbzp wlien thlll'eadedly engaged)e with the stem presence of, the subsrri ing witness. Q

mg rou tinto positive aring contact w with the c llar, the latter having an'exte- 1 AIKEN riorly threaded rtion, and a nut engaged Witness: with thecollal eads and adapted to bear G. R. pursuan 

